Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008

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Esfandiari joins with WPT

Esfandiari to work his magic for the WPT.

By Sarah Polson

The World Poker Tour announced last week that Antonio Esfandiari will join the company as the face of the WPT Poker-Made Millionaire.

The Poker-Made Millionaire is an elite group of 84 players and growing who have won at least $1 million playing on the World Poker Tour. As the representative of the group, Antonio Esfandiari will provide poker tips, tools and tricks for fans and players while delivering updates and information from tournament stops.

Esfandiari will also represent the WPT in tournaments and events across the world, including the upcoming WPT tournament at Casino Barcelona in May, which is the first of many regional events WPT will implement in various markets worldwide.

"Antonio embodies the excitement that has become the WPT journey," said Steve Lipscomb, WPT founder, president and CEO.

"This is the only sport in the history of televised sports that allows you to watch it, dream it and be it. Now WPT fans and poker enthusiasts can take the journey with Antonio as he leads the way for the next WPT Poker-Made Millionaire."

When Esfandiari was 25 years old, he became the sixth player to achieve WPT Poker-Made Millionaire status. He did so by winning $1.4 million in the Season 2 L.A. Poker Classic.

At the time, he was the youngest million-dollar prize winner. He followed up that win with a final-table appearance at the WPT Celebrity Invitational, where he placed sixth.

This isn't the first time Esfandiari has been hired by the WPT either. He once won a contract to stage a magic show during a press release party for the company.

"I will never forget the day Steve Lipscomb hired me to perform magic at the press release party for the WPT. All I dreamt of that day was winning a WPT event someday," said Esfandiari.

"To have actually won a few years later and to now become the official spokesperson for a company that did so much for poker and me personally is an honor I hold very dear to me. It's great to be a part of the WPT, [which] has been such an instrumental part of my poker journey."

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